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“Would you rather take an African safari or stay in an overwater bungalow?”
“Not sure, what about you?”
“I would take the overwater bungalow.” She gave him a flirtatious look from below lowered lids. “I have a great bikini that would be perfect. And if I were to tan topless no one would be close enough for it to be an issue.”
“Safari for me.”
“I’m sure it would be interesting with the right person.” She tapped the paper with one bloodred nail.
“Exactly.” Once more, his gaze drifted over to where Hope and Erick were sitting. The man faced him and damn it, Mitchell knew exactly what the bastard was doing. Making sure he saw how close they were when he looked.
Erick gave him a smug grin and dipped his head to hold Hope’s gaze.
“Your turn.”
Taking the sheet, he did his obligatory turn. It didn’t take long for the nine questions to be asked and answered. Most people were laughing and having a good time, but he was not.
Collette was sitting next to him, closer than he would like, sipping on one of the hot toddies that had been passed around to everyone.
“I have to admit, I’m surprised that you’re at a singles mixer.”
He tipped his head down to look at her. She was great WAG material. And his mother would approve of her. Two strikes against her.
“Wasn’t expecting to be here.” He took a healthy gulp of his drink, his gaze locating Hope, who talked and laughed with both Erick and Sonya. Animated. That was far too tame of a word to describe her. She was effervescent. “Excuse me.”
But before he could make his way across the space to Hope’s side, Sonya whistled to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay, this next one is going to let us get up close and personal. Suck and Blow.”
His heart stopped for a few beats. When he finally realized what was going on, he had missed the discussion of rules. Didn’t matter. He walked to Hope and took a seat by her.
“What are you doing over here?”
“I’m down here at the games because of you, Hope. I’m not spending them across the room from you and I sure as hell…” He shook his head, not willing to admit the thought aloud. That would make it realer than it was already.
He expected her to become soft and gooey, or maybe not. Hell, he didn’t know what to expect with this woman who’d turned his life on its head in mere days. Because of that, he waited.
Hope blinked twice more and shrugged. “Fine, but I don’t plan on losing, so you’d better not let me down. You’d better shine at Suck and Blow.”
Dear God, the words rolling off her tongue were enough to make him give up monkhood. And hell, he hadn’t even contemplated another woman since he’d first learned of Shawnee’s infidelity.
The corner of his mouth twitched and he made sure their eye contact was solid before he leaned closer to her. “I excel at both of those things.”
She didn’t back away, oh no, not his Flykra. Hope bent at her waist, coming nearer to his mouth, eyes continuing to hold his. “All those years in the locker room coming to good use, I see.”
He gave a fake exasperated huff. “If you must know, it’s my best friends. They get so damn needy at times.”
Mitchell wasn’t positive what he’d been expecting from her with his announcement but her laughter wasn’t it. And again, like she was doing with everyone else, it wasn’t a sly chuckle in an attempt to flirt. This was open, full, robust laughter. Her head tipped back as she roared.
Damn it, there went his lips again, threatening to curve up at the corners.
His heart hadn’t been this light in a long time, other than when he hung out with his boys.
Hope Roman was something special.
Sonya unboxed a deck of Lord of the Rings cards and fanned them out. “One card to rule them all.”
“Oh, oh! Can I have Aragorn?” Hope piped up from beside him, jabbing her hand up into the air. She looked like a kid in school, desperate for the teacher to call on them.
Wendy and Sonya agreed with her. Collette watched blankly until she looked at him, then her eyes heated and he turned away. Not a woman he wanted to engage with.
“You know who Aragorn is but you didn’t know who I was?” He put his attention on Hope.
“Of course I know who Aragorn is. I read,” she retorted. “But in this case, I’m a huge Viggo fan so, no offense, if he walks in here, I’m sucking and blowing him.”
It was official: Mitchell didn’t approve of that jealous feeling racing through him. “It’s Suck and Blow that you would play with him.”
She shrugged. “With him. On him. For him. Doesn’t matter. We’d come up with something.”
